Teach Him To Fly
by Moriko-Demon
Summary: With death comes life, and with darkness comes light. Max and the gang must learn this the hard way. On hold because of writer's block.
1. Prologue

Teach Him To Fly

Author's Note: After reading a Maximum Ride fan fiction off of here I went back and read _When the Wind Blows_ and _The Lake House_. And I got to thinking. What would it be like if you took _Maximum Ride _characters, and put them in _The Lake House_, changing a bit here and there?

You've got a damn good story. I hope. xD

Disclaimer: I do _not_ (notice the not in italics) own _Maximum Ride _or _When the Wind Blows_ and _The Lake House_. It all belongs to the wonderful James Patterson. Bless his soul for making such great books.

On with the story!

--

**Teach Him To Fly: Prologue**

By: Moriko-Demon

I am Maximum Ride, and I am nineteen years old. Do you remember me? Cause I remember you, even if it has been, what, five years? You know, now that I look back and remember everything that happened to me, well, let's just say I don't want to remember.

He's gone, you know.

Fang, I mean. And god knows I miss him. I miss him _a lot_. But more on that later.

Hold on tight, my old friend. This is gonna fly.

--

All I wanted to do was fly and fly and fly and never land, I was so happy. The School--and everything to do with it--was going, going, _gone_! But I had the flock to worry about, and they were all tired after a long day of flying, so we landed in a clearing in god knows which state. The sun was falling beneath the horizon, painting the sky in brilliant colors. As Fang and Iggy started on the fire, I sat with the others, discussing this and that.

Finally, with dinner over, and the children asleep, I sat up, my eyes finding the dark figure of Fang a few feet away. _He never sleeps_, I thought to myself, rolling my eyes before crawling over to sit beside him.

If Fang knew I was there, he didn't show it. We sat silently for a few minutes. Finally, after what seemed like hours, I whispered, "Let's go flying. I'm not tried."

He stood without question and waited for me to stand before unfurling his beautiful dark wings.

Wings so much like Fang himself…

I unfurled my own wings and we took off at a run, rising into the air. He stayed nearby, his feathers brushing against mine once in a while on the down stroke. We flew for five minutes before he spoke, "We're free. Truly free. No Erasers, no School, and no scientists that want to kill us."

I couldn't help but smile like an idiot. It was finally over, after four years.

_Free, free, free_!

I glanced at him and saw him looking at me. Offering a smile at him, I said, "Catch me if you can!"

And I took off. No, I didn't use my 'power' to fly at the speed of light, though that would've been cool. But I wanted him to catch me. Weird, huh?

And catch me he did. He grabbed me around the waist, folding my wings against my back and we fell to the forest floor below. It didn't hurt, seeing as we were a few feet above the ground, which was good. He landed on top of me. And he didn't move. He kept his wings unfurled, covering us both like a soft dark blanket.

_What was he doing?_

I looked at him and felt my face heat up. He was staring at me so intently that I was sure he saw right into my very soul. My heart, my dreams.

_What is this feeling?_

That's when Fang opened his mouth and let out a sound I never knew we could make. "Chee." It was a beautiful sound, soft and quiet, but mysterious. A bird-like chirp. And it was for _me_. "Fang?"

"Chee."

I suddenly realized (though I didn't know how) what he was doing. What the sound meant. He _loved_ me. Me, Maximum Ride, the mutant freak. And he loved me? And I realized I loved him back. I had always felt so close to Fang, and over the past two years, that friendship just grew stronger and stronger. Had it come to love, really? And now…his dark eyes were staring at me, and he fluttered his wings as he waited.

_What about The Red-Haired Wonder? What about The Red-Haired Wonder? What about--of the _hell _with her._

I opened my mouth, uncertain, hopeful. "Chee."

He smiled at me, and I melted.

"Max," he whispered, pressing his lips against my forehead. I hesitantly wrapped my arms around his neck. "Hmm?"

"I love you." He was still unsure.

"I know," I told him. "I know."

And he knew what I meant because he's Fang. _My Fang_…

And we enjoyed each other's company for the rest of the night. A few hours later I fell asleep with one last kiss.

--

"Max, Fang, where are you?"

I woke with a start, hearing those words. I looked around, blinking against the sun light shining through the trees. Fang was beside me, one hand touching my hip. He was still asleep, and I enjoyed watching him.

"Max!" I heard Nudge call from the distance.

I looked down at myself. Oh _crap_, I was naked. I quickly began to shake Fang's shoulders, surprised he hadn't heard them by now. "Fang, wake up! The other's are looking for us."

He stirred slightly, opening his eyes. "What?"

"The others are coming. Iggy might be blind, but the others aren't." I told him.

And he was up so fast I doubted I was the one with super speed. He tossed me my clothes as he pulled on his jeans. We were dressed when the Nudge, Angel, Gazzy, and Iggy (with Total in his arms) appeared.

"Um, I'm not going to ask, okay?" Nudge said, eyes wide as she examined our messy hair. I just knew there were tons of questions she _wanted_ to ask, though.

"How does breakfast sound?" I asked, innocently, trying to change the subject. Total trotted up to me, smirking at me. "Busted!" he chuckled.

With a stifled sigh of defeat, I herded the flock back towards camp, Fang never leaving my side.

--

"Max?" Angel coasted up to my side an hour later, when we were well on our way to who knows where.

"Yes honey?" I replied, smiling sweetly at her. She smiled back at me.

"Fang really likes you."

I flushed, embarrassed, but said, "I know."

"You like him too." she said a few seconds later.

For once I wasn't scared to say, "Yes, I do." With a smile of farewell, I slowed down to fly by Fang's side, feathers touching on the down stroke.

Our moment of peace was ended abruptly. Out of nowhere, something flew up behind me, hitting me hard in the back of the neck. I rolled, hearing Fang's snarl and Nudge's gasp of surprise. I looked back to see who had struck me.

_Ari_?

That's twice that I thought I'd killed him, and twice he's showed up out of the blue.

"I've missed you, Max." he sneered, his lip curling back in disgust. I glared at him. He couldn't possible be back. I had killed him…or I least I thought I had.

"You thought you killed me last month? Think again, Max. You were so proud that you didn't even check to see if your _enemy_ was dead."

I didn't even see Fang lunging at Ari, grabbing Ari's arms and kicking him. They began to lose altitude, both of their wings folded against their backs. I stayed motionless, shocked for a moment, watching the two fall to the ground when I heard a loud _crack_ echo in the air. I tucked in my wings and dive bombed them, watching them both hit the ground before I let my wings out and grabbed an air current.

"Fang!" I screamed.

Ari lay on the ground, motionless. His arms were covered in scratches and near his hand was a gun.

"Fang!" I screamed again, panic racing through my body as I landed, ran to his side. "Noooooooo!"

I was hardly aware of Nudge, Angel, Gazzy, and Iggy landing behind me, gasping. I was too busy tearing off Fang's shirt to find a gun shot wound, two fingers wide, right over his heart. "No! No, no, NO! I won't accept this!" My wings covered us and hid my tears. "Fang? Talk to me, Fang, _please_."

He didn't say anything.

"I need you, Fang. The flock needs you." I cried. Then I whispered, desperate, "_Please_."

Behind me was a chuckle, and I whirled to see Ari sitting up, clearly not dead.

Yet.

"YOU KILLED HIM!" I screamed, so loudly it left my ears ringing.

Ari only smiled bitterly at me. "Like you killed me. Well, _almost_, anyway."

Without warning I delivered a round-house kick to the side of his head. His eyes rolled back, but he blinked, and tried to defend himself. But I was too fast, to angry, to sad, to be stopped. I kicked him hard in the chest, hearing his breath come out in a whoosh. I punched him right between the eyes, and I watched him fall back to the ground, still, and I was certain, dead.

My knees gave out beneath me and I fell to the ground. I didn't feel any better. Fang wasn't alive. Fang was gone. Like the School, the Erasers, like everything we had hated so much. And he wasn't even alive to enjoy it with us. I turned to the flock. Only four of them now, five counting Total.

"Oh hell," I whispered.

Angel fell into my lap and sobbed against me, and I wrapped my arms around her. Nudge buried her face into the crook of my neck, while Iggy rested against my back. Total whined rubbing his body against my side. And we cried as one.

--

_Seven Months Later_

I led the flock to the only place I knew where I would be safe during 'the thing'. 'The thing', as I liked to call it, was when I was going to give birth to, I was pretty sure, a beautiful flying baby boy.

And that place was Ella's house.

I was kindof excited about Ella and her mom meeting _my_ family. Except one…

When Ella had opened the door she stood wide eyed for a moment, looking at me, then at the flock, then back to me again. Then she stepped back to let us enter, yelling, "Mom, Max's pregnant and she brought friends.

It had taken five minutes to calm Dr. Martinez down before I could explain. When we had all gathered around the table in the kitchen I told her about my flock and what had happened to us. Yes, I even told her about Fang, and I only cried once.

About a week after that, I sat on the couch, resting my swore ankles. "Want a cookie, Max?" I heard Iggy ask. I cracked a eye open and my face brightened. I snatched the cookie away from him and nibbled on it happily.

Ella was due back from school in an hour. When I had finished my cookie, I rolled over, hoping to sleep that hour away.

--

"_I love you, Max." Fang said to me, kissing me softly on the lips._

"_Fang?" I asked, surprised when he pulled away. "Fang! Don't leave me again." I found myself crying, wanting nothing more than his lips on mine._

"_We'll meet again soon, Max. I promise."_

--

"Dr. Martinez!" I cried, awake. Her head poked out of the kitchen. "Yes, Max?"

I smiled with joy. "My water broke."

Her eyes widened, but she smiled as well, yelling out orders. "Iggy, help her upstairs to the room. Nudge," Nudge appeared by her side. "Go get some rags, okay, sweetie?"

Nudge rushed off to get the supplies while Iggy helped me to my feet. He nearly carried me upstairs. (I had refused to go to the hospital. I never wanted to step foot inside a hospital _again.) _He knew exactly where everything was.

The flock and Ella, since she had returned home shortly afterward, waited outside the room for days, it seemed.

It was dark outside by the time I had him. My beautiful dark winged baby boy. I was resting against the headboard when they came in. They gathered around me, rubbing the baby's cheek with their fingers and taking turns holding their fingers out to him so he could grab them. I cooed softly in his ear.

_Wish you were here to see your beautiful son, Fang._

_Your son, your son, your son. _Our_ son._

"What's his name, Max?" Ella asked me, wiggling her fingers in front of my baby's face.

"Nick."

I saw the flock smile at this, but I was too busy watching Nick turn his wide brown eyes on me, and feeling his wings move against my arm to respond.

I began to cry with happiness, and for once I wasn't ashamed to cry in public.

_I love you both._

_--_

_Wait! _It's not over yet. This won't be a very LONG story, but it will have a few more chapters. xD Lucky you. Hope you enjoyed, and review! Thanks--Moriko-Demon


	2. Chapter 1

Teach Him To Fly

Author's Note: You know what I just realized? That in _The Angel Experiment _it says that Iggy's father is dead. But in _School's Out-Forever_, he has a father, and that father doesn't act like a step father. Hmm…

Disclaimer: I do not own _Maximum Ride_. But can I please have Fang!

On with the story!

--

**Teach Him To Fly: Chapter One**

By: Moriko-Demon

All he could see was darkness. It surrounded him, he choked on it, it clouded his senses. His body felt light, unused. He could hardly breathe.

He opened his eyes to a semi-dark room, a single light bulb the only source of light. His vision blurry, he could hardly see where he was. Somebody leaned over him, smiled at him. "Good, you're awake." he whispered, removing the oxygen mask from the subject's mouth and nose.

He struggled to form the right words, his tongue heavy. "Where am I? Who are you? What--" he stopped, suddenly coughing. His voice had sounded rough, having not used his vocal cords in so long a time.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you where you are." the man said, reading over something on his clipboard. He scribbled something down. "My name is Dr. Thomas. And stop talking. You just woke up."

Somebody brushed his hair back from his eyes. A young women stood behind him, smiling softly. He turned his head to avoid the contact. "You see," the women said. "You were in what we call 'fake death'. Your heart rate slowed to eight beats per minute. We were able to dig you out of your grave before you really died.

The subject swallowed, remembering the bullet and something seeping into his blood stream.

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Dr. Thomas produce a needle. The female scientist held his head, but he struggled. He found he could not escape.

Leather straps dug into his wrists. He winced as the needle entered the skin of his neck and released the liquid it held.

"That should help you get you moving again." the female said softly, stroking his hair like a mother would to calm her child.

Disgusted, he shook his head to get rid of her. He felt her leave, and turned to glare at Dr. Thomas. "Why am I being restrained?"

The scientist's smile vanished, replaced with a hard glare. 'We couldn't let you escape and hurt yourself when you woke up."

His mouth felt dry as he asked, "How long have I been out?"

"A year."

The subject closed his eyes. "You were suppose to be dead. The School and everything to do with it."

He heard the scientist chuckle. "You can never get rid of scientists, Fang. Or our experiments."

He began to unbuckle the straps that held Fang down. Take the chance, Fang tried to jump off the bed and run, only to find he couldn't move. _Lairs! I should have known, _he thought bitterly, fury racing through his body. The scientist chuckled again.

Fang felt rough hands grab him, pick him up. He went limp in the man's arms, like a rag doll. The new man carried him out of the room, but not before Dr. Thomas said, "Nobody is going to save you this time, Fang."

He was right. Fang knew that. Max and the others thought he was dead, didn't they? And there was no Jeb to save him this time.

Panic replaced fury as he was carried down the hall into another room--a darker room. Fang could do nothing as he was placed inside a cage and locked inside, then left alone. He closed his eyes against the fear that overcame him and waited for his movement to return.

A hour later he was able to move.

He shifted into another uncomfortable position, but stopped, eyes wide.

He had no wings.

Fang let out a yell of surprise and rage, reaching back to feel his smooth back.

_They had taken his wings…_

--

One year old Nick wiggled in my arms as his fists opened and closed around nothing. "Doggie," he whined, turning pleading eyes towards me. Nick loved Total. Total loved Nick. But when Nick rips out some of Total's fur with his hands? Yeah, not so much.

I cooed in his ear, knowing he couldn't help but laugh. He smiled at me and I felt my heart swell. Every time I look at him I see a little bit of his father. Of my Fang. The strong, stubborn, handsome man that I'm pretty sure Nick will grow up to be.

_I miss you, Fang. The others do too._

I called to Total and turned back to the house. When I entered I was overcome by the delicious smell of baking cookies.

"Sneaky," I said, handing Nick over to Dr. Martinez when I entered the kitchen. "Make the cookie dough while I'm outside."

She laughed, propping Nick against her hip. "Well, I saved the cookie dough, didn't I?"

I suppose she did.

Eleven year old Angel rushed into the room, her curls bouncing as she ran. She stopped beside me, smiled at me. "Let's go flying, Max. We haven't gone flying with you in _long_ time."

I smiled back at her, smoothing back her hair. It was true. Ever since Nick was born I had stopped going out with the rest of my flock to fly. I had to raise a baby, you know. "Okay," I told her, looking to Dr. Martinez. She waved me away. "Go, I'll watch Nick."

Angel took my hand, leading me outside to where the rest of the flock waited. We took off running, unfurling our wings, and rose into the air. Iggy reached out to touch Gasman's foot, trying to figure out where we were going, still holding Total, who yipped, excited.

"Where do you guys normally fly too?" I asked, looking back at my flock proudly. They had grown so much.

Nudge was taller, and beautiful as ever. Iggy had grown a few more inches, and he was still pale and rather handsome. Gazzy had grown into a real gentleman, and Angel…well, she was still an angel.

"Everywhere!" Nudge said happily, a huge smile on her face. "One night we went to the cave we stayed at five years ago, and the night after that we went into town and--"

_Ah, good old Nudge._

My powerful wings carried me forward, and once again I had the odd sense of being free.

_Free…_

I frowned. Was I truly free?

--

Fang jolted awake to the scrapping of a key in a lock. His dark eyes stared at the door, then at the two men that entered. Dr. Thomas smiled warmly at him, closing the door behind him and flipping a switch on the wall. The room was flooded in light, and Fang blinked a few times to adjust.

"Hello, Fang. Ready for some tests?"

He growled. This was the first time he had seen Dr. Thomas in a week. He watched the scientist's every move as he picked up his cage and loaded him on a trolley. Dr. Thomas opened the door for them, leading them down the hallway towards the lab.

"What are the tests for?" Fang snapped, peering out through the bars to glare at Dr. Thomas. The doctor didn't say anything.

Dr. Thomas pushed open a set of swinging doors and opened Fang's cage door. He climbed out, prepared to escape, but was quickly grabbed my one of the scientists.

That's when he saw the door.

The door that clearly led to the outside world. Fang forced his eyes away, and he locked eyes with the female scientist from before. Her smile was the same as ever. Warm, friendly, like she cared about him. Heh, yeah right.

He licked his dry lips. _Count of three, Fang, _he told himself.

_One…_

He ripped his arm from the scientist's grasp and ran for it, crashing into the door and throwing it wide open.

He ran and ran and ran, his bare feet hitting rocks and twigs. All he was thinking about was getting away from that place.

He heard the female scientist call his name. "Fang! Fang, we're going to take care of you!" she yelled after him. He didn't stop to look back. He continued to run until he met the safety of the trees. His knees buckled beneath him, and he crashed to the ground, breathing hard, sweating.

He heard foot steps, and he tried to pick himself off of the ground but failed horribly. The woman stepped out from behind a tree and went to him.

"Are you mad because we got rid of your wings?"

Still panting, Fang glared up at the woman, who for once looked serious. He clenched his fists, nails digging into the palm of his hand. "I'm not doing _anything_ for you people."

The woman's eyes softened. "You're scared of us." It wasn't a question.

"No!" Fang yelled, looking away. "I hate you."

He fell silent, refusing to say anything more to her. A few minutes later, "Go Fang."

He looked up at her, shocked. "What?"

"_Go_, Fang." With that, the woman walked away. And Fang picked himself off the ground and ran. He didn't hear the woman's last comment.

"You owe me your life."

--

OoOo, bet you didn't see that coming, eh? I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It took me forever to get it the way I wanted it. Review! Thanks--Moriko-Demon


	3. Chapter 2

Teach Him To Fly

Author's Note: Oh dear. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry I haven't updated! Please forgive me! Here is long awaited chapter two! It's long too!

Disclaimer: I own Maximum Ride! xD Uh…what's up with the handcuffs? Oh no, JOBBER, help!

Jobber: You're on your own. I need a drink.

No! Get away from me, you freaks. I don't own it! I swear, I don't. D:

On with the story!

--

**Teach Him To Fly: Chapter Two**

By: Moriko-Demon

I sat with Nick on the floor, content to just watch him play with a rubber ball. His wings were out, as were mine. He loved to touch my feathers. He tossed the ball into the air, and it rolled over to me. Nick stood and walked towards me. I held out my arms to catch him.

His small hand wrapped around my arm. "Mommy!" he squealed. He laughed and fluttered his dark wings.

"Coo," I answered him. "Coo…hey Nick." I scooped him up in my arms and brushed his dirty blond hair back away from his forehead. "Fly!" he said, wiggling in my grasp. Ever since he had seen me and my flock flying away outside, he'd wanted me to take him flying. I smiled, looking towards the door.

Ella's mother had taken Ella and the flock to the store for the afternoon, leaving me alone with Nick. I would have gone, but hello, I had to give her a chance to hide the cookie dough. Besides, I would have jumped at any chance to stay with my baby alone. I stood quickly and went to the kitchen, grabbing a pen and a piece of paper.

I wrote,

_Be back soon. I went on a little adventure with Nick. Don't worry._

_Max_

Leaving the note where they would find it, I packed our stuff in an old backpack and took to the sky. Nick cried out in joy.

_Joy, joy, joy_.

I felt his wings move against my arm.

I don't know how long I flew with Nick in my arms. He had fallen asleep in the crook of my arm, and I was beginning to grow tired as well. I found a field and landed, making sure nobody was around first. The field was surrounded by forest. I settled in the shadows on the edge of the forest.

We ate in silence, watching the sunset. Finally Nick fell asleep in my lap. I hugged him to me, and I was asleep in minutes.

Flying would come tomorrow.

--

When I opened my eyes, I was met by a dark sky. I shifted, paused, looked down--and saw nothing. I jump up, panicking, and screamed, "Nick!"

I didn't see him anywhere in the field or along the forest edge, she that had to mean he was in the forest. "Nick?"

I didn't hear him, so I started into the forest. Oh god, not him too, please.

"Nick, come to mommy!"

I began to run, searching for him among the trees and bushes. Choking back a sob, I through the forest at full speed.

As I ran, the feeling of being watched came over me. I pushed myself to go faster, still searching franticly.

Than I saw him. Nick, my baby, was sitting next to a dark figure. The thing reached out to him, and Nick screamed.

Yes, good Nick. That's my boy!

The figure jumped up. He must have seen me. Let him, I thought. Let him see who he's messing with. But instead of facing me and fighting, the figure took off

Nick came to me, and I picked him up, patting his back. He fought against me, and I frowned. "Nick, what's wrong?"

Nick began to cry, hiding his face in my wind breaker. I could feel his little tears soaking my shirt.

And that's when I heard it. A loud explosion that made Nick cry even harder.

A gunshot.

--

Fang collapsed on the forest floor, taking in deep breathes of air. When he was still able to fly, he could go for a few hours, but running was another story. His left muscles were on fire, his stomach empty.

Fang crawled to the nearest tree and leaned up against it. He closed his eyes, resting his trembling legs. He crossed his arms over his stomach as it growled in hunger.

He wasn't able to sleep long before something jerked him awake. For minute he thought he was back in the hospital, but then he saw the trees…and the little boy beside him.

He frowned, staring at the boy, who stared back. He couldn't be more than three years old, Fang decided, watching the boy play with a leaf.

"Nick, come to mommy!"

His head jerked to the side. This little boy was lost, and his mother was looking for him.

That voice sounded so familiar though.

That _voice_.

Fang reached out to take the boy, but he screamed, just as somebody appeared a few feet away. Quickly he stood up, ignoring his protecting muscles and began to run. He heard the crunch of leaves somewhere behind him.

Oh god, they were following him.

Than something hit him in the back, right where his wings used to be. He turned, saw his attacker, than his eyes rolled into the back of his head and the darkness took him.

--

He was tied down again. With a sigh, he stayed still, not even bothering to struggle against the leather bonds. He was in a house…a very clean house.

The door opened to his right.

"Hello Fang."

The female scientist. Stifling a groan, he turned his eyes towards her. She wasn't smiling this time.

"You said I could go free." Fang said.

"So I did," the female sighed, sitting down in the chair beside the bed. Fang flexed his fingers. "But you owe me your life, remember? Of course you don't, you were already gone. Fang, I'm trying to protect you. They want you back, but they can't have you back."

"So you shot me and brought me here."

"Oh, I didn't shoot you. My husband did."

"It doesn't matter who shot me. It's the fact that I was shot!"

The woman sighed again, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples with her fingers. It was a few minutes before she said something.

"Fang, they were planning on making you human again." she explained. "They started with your wings, and that worked out perfectly. But now they want to change your DNA again."

"So I was going to be an experiment." It wasn't a question. Fang's blood boiled at the thought.

"Yes, you were going to be an experiment." She began to undo this bonds. "You wouldn't have survived."

There was a knock at the door and it opened again, revealing a pale man. He held a glass of water. The woman smiled and stood to take it, closing the door behind the him. She held the glass out for the now released Fang to take.

He didn't take it. Grumbling, the woman took a drink, and handed it back. "I didn't do anything to it."

Fang grabbed it and drank it greedily. It soothed his sore throat.

Setting the glass aside, Fang remembered something. "What happened to the baby?"

"His mother found him." was his answer.

He was left alone after that. With nothing to do but sit quietly.

--

"Come on, Nick." I said softly, watching my baby flap his wings helplessly. I held his hands, and his feet lifted off the ground a little before he fell back to the ground. I picked him up, listening to him whimper. I cooed in his ear, and he soon stopped. He snuggled into my embrace.

"Mommy!" he whispered, his voice so low I could hardly hear him. I frowned. My poor baby.

"I'm right here, Nick." I whispered back to him. He sighed, relaxing in my arms, falling asleep. Maybe it was too soon to teach him to fly.

As Nick slept my mind wandered back to the night I had lost him. Who had been that man? Who had fired that gun?

I winced.

"_Fang!"_

_Bullet hole right over his heart. Dead. Going, going, gone. Just like the School._

I squeezed my eyes shut tightly against the memories. I couldn't be weak. I had to be strong for our baby. Fang would have wanted that.

"Oh, Nick. What's happening?" I whispered. Nick stirred, but did not wake up.

And I spotted something through the corner of my eye. I was certain it was the man from before.

--

Fang forced himself to examine every inch of the room he was being kept it, despite his tired body. The door was locked and chained--from the outside. There was no way he would get out through there. The windows as well were locked up tight.

With a defeated groan he collapsed into a chair by the bed. He leaned his head back, resting, pondering, eyes closed.

_I could always force my way through the windows, _he thought. _Any lock can be picked. I just have to figure out how._

He stood up, his strength renewed suddenly. He went to the window, unlocking it from the inside. Now, to get it unlocked from the outside.

No alarms, no alarms, please, _no alarms._

He punched a hole in the glass, shattering it, showering glass all over the floor, carefully unlocking it, and thanking whoever was out there that she hadn't set up an alarm. Now to get his hand back through without leaving blood. Slowly he pulled his hand back through the jagged glass. Then he forced the window up.

Poking his head out the window, he was relived to find that he was on the first floor. This was too easy.

_It was almost like she wanted him to escape._

Fang shook his head. He climbed through the window, drawing the curtains and jumping down. He closed the window. Looking around him and finding that the coast was clear, Fang took off, not once looking back. And much like before, the female stood at a window, watching him, smiling.

"Good job, Fang."

As Fang ran the weakness that had 'disappeared' before was now back. He was slow. He swore a snail could pass him.

The good thing was he was still in the forest. And if he wasn't too late, he would be able to see the woman and her baby. See if they were okay.

He was positive they were, but the woman had reminded him of Max. The way she stood. The stance of a warrior. He smiled slightly at the thought.

_Maybe, maybe, _maybe.

The clearing. He could see it now.

And somebody tackled him.

The wind was knocked out of him when he landed on his stomach, somebody sitting on his back. They pushed his face into the grass. He turned his face to the side to some extent, breathing in through his nose.

"Who are you?" a voice growled in his ear.

"Let me up." he mumbled. He tried to move his hands, but found they were trapped under his attackers knees. Huh, this guy was good.

"Answer my question." His faced was pushed a little harder into the ground.

Annoyed, he tensed his muscles. He turned his head to get a look at his attacker. His female attacker.

His eyes widened.

_Max._

_--_

_Muahahaha. _I was going to continue, but I thought, Hmm…I'll make it a cliffy.

But it's long. : Are you happy? Am I forgiven?

Please review! Thanks--Moriko-Demon


	4. Chapter 3

Teach Him To Fly

Author's Note: Jobber: Seeing as MD is too lazy to do this, I'll be taking over for a while. MD wants to know if Fang is a little out of character.

Disclaimer: Jobber: She don't own Maximum Ride. Now off to get a drink…

On with the story!

--

**Teach Him To Fly: Chapter 3**

By: Moriko-Demon

I left Nick near the tree, wrapped up safely in a blanket, than I took off after the man from the forest. I caught up to him quickly enough, and I threw myself at him, knocking him to the ground. I pinned his hands beneath my knees, pushing his face into the ground. I let him move his head so he could breath.

"Who are you?" I leaned down to growl in his ear.

"Let me up." he mumbled in reply. I nearly laughed. I felt his hands move beneath my knees.

"Answer my question." I pushed his face harder into the ground.

He tensed underneath me, turning his face to get a look at me.

His eyes widened._ My _eyes widened.

_Fang._

I jumped off him so quickly I nearly fell backward.

_No_, I screamed in my head. _My head is playing tricks on me! Why?_

He was pushing himself up off of the ground, his dark hair falling in his face. _It isn't Fang_, I told myself. _He doesn't have wings. Fang was a mutant freak, just like you, Max! _But his eyes. His eyes were the exact same color as Fang's eyes. It was his face. Oh god, oh god, oh god.

"Max?"

I closed my eyes, shaking my head. "You're going to be gone when I open my eyes." I said, not quite sure if I said it out loud or not. "You aren't real."

"Thanks."

My eyes opened, and he was still standing there. "I saw him die…"

"I guess I didn't." he answered.

My fingers twitched. It had to be Fang. He knew my name. He looked like Fang, for god's stakes! But I had seen the bullet wound. Fang had died. But here he was, standing in front of me like nothing had happened.

_Fang_ always _kept his promises._

"_We'll meet again soon, Max. I promise."_

"Oh god!" I cried, falling to my knees in front of him, covering my face. I wasn't crying…yet…and that was something I was thankful for. "But your wings…"

"They removed them."

My hands fell to my sides. He was kneeling in front of me, looking concerned. I was sure my eyes were as big as saucers. They had taken his wings. His beautiful, dark wings. "Who?" I demanded. "Who took your wings?"

"A man by the name of Dr. Thomas." He didn't explain further. I collapsed against him, wrapping my arms around his waist and burring my head into the cork of his neck. I closed my eyes. Fang held onto me as I trembled with silent sobs.

_Fang was back, Fang was back, Fang was _back.

Ari had come back…so why couldn't Fang?

"But how?" I cried, my grip on him tightening a bit more, as if he would disappear if I let go. Like in my dream…

Fang only shrugged in response, and I had to laugh. Always quiet, my Fang. Nothing could changed that.

I jerked back, my eyes snapping open. Fang seemed confused, and I quickly smiled up at him. "Fang, come with me."

--

Dr. Alexandria Costello smiled as she sat down at her desk. She pressed the blinking button on her phone and sat back, awaiting for Dr. Thomas to realize she had picked up.

"Hello?"

"Dr. Thomas." she answered briskly.

"Ah, Dr. Costello. How is our experiment doing?"

"All is going as planned, Doctor. His ability to push himself is rather interesting."

"They're all rather interesting, Alexandria." Dr. Thomas said, and Alexandria could almost see the smug smile on his face. "Fang, though, is extremely interesting. How he can take so much pain and yet still fight is beyond me."

"I must agree, Doctor." Alexandria answered.

"I have something else for you, Alex." Alexandria winced at the childhood name. "I want you to gain his trust. I presume he has found Max?"

"He was on his way towards the forest a few seconds ago."

"Good, good. Gain his trust and bring _all_ of them in once you have it."

"How exactly do I do that, Doctor?" Alexandria asked.

"Tell them we know all about Dr. Martinez. Tell them you have a safe place they can stay."

Alexandria smiled. "Alright, I'll call you back later, Dr. Thomas."

The line went dead.

Alexandria leaned forward, resting her elbows on the desk. Glancing down at the papers that held all her notes on the boy, Alexandria couldn't help but smile. He truly was a extremely interesting being. Extremely quick, extremely tough, and extremely smart.

Earning his trust was going to be the hardest task of all. Alexandria smirked. This was going to be _extremely_ fun.

--

I dragged Fang along beside me, my hand holding onto his tightly. He would squeeze it now and again, just to tell me he was still there, and I would squeeze his hand back. As we got closer to my campsite, I grew more and more excited. Nick was actually going to grow up with his father. I smiled like a fool at the thought.

Nick was up and walking around, his lower lip thrown out. I could tell he was about to cry, so I let out a soft coo. Nick turned his eyes on me and smiled, waving his arms in the air. He giggled softly, and Fang's grip on my hand tightened. I glanced at him through the corner of my eye before letting go and scooping Nick up.

"Hey Nick," I whispered into his ear as he snuggled against me. Fang stared at the two of us curiously.

I smiled at him. Though he looked like he needed a good bath, Fang still was as handsome as ever. Fang was looking at Nick, who had his fist in his mouth, something he always did when he was nervous. I held Nick out for Fang to take.

Fang took him gently, like Nick was something that would break if you put to much pressure on him, and I held back a laugh. "But this is the baby I…that female scientist said his _mother_ found him."

"I did."

Fang looked up at me as Nick tugged on his hair. "Who's the--"

"Father?" I interrupted.

Fang nodded.

"You are."

Fang froze, looking down at Nick with a shocked expression. I nibbled on my lip, unsure of what his reaction meant. Nick's lip trembled, and he called out to me. "Mommy…"

I went to him, taking him from Fang's arms and cradling him against my chest. "I don't regret it." I whispered, stroking my babies hair.

What Fang did surprised me. He cooed, wrapped his arms around both of us and kissed both of our heads. "I don't either."

_Thank you_, I thought, closing my eyes and leaning into Fang's embrace.

--

Well, there's chapter three for you. I'm very excited. MR3 comes out next year in May, and Eragon the movie comes out in next month! -cheers- Now, if I have any mistakes, please tell me. I tried to catch all of them. Until next time. Remember to review! Thanks--Moriko-Demon


	5. Chapter 4

Teach Him To Fly

Author's Note: ' Eh...I'm sorry? Really, truly, OMG, don't kill me sorry. -hides her face in shame- I made it extra long, okay? Just for not updating. Thank you for all the reviews, though. 8D I scream everytime I see I have one.

Disclaimer: I no own Max Ride or her super cool flock. Boooo. D:

On with the story!

--

**Teach Him To Fly: Chapter 4**

By: Moriko-Demon

I found myself sitting next to Fang the next day. Nick was fast asleep, curled up in the blankets behind us. I couldn't wait until we got home--but Fang had insisted that we stop and rest. We finally stopped after I saw how dead he looked. He was swaying on his feet, his eyes half closed. Hey, we might be freaks with lots of energy, but we had our limits. And Fang had reached his.

So that's how we found ourselves in that position, miles away from the forest we had found each other at. My head was tucked under his chin, his arms around my body. I clung to him.

Fang was back. Back, back, truely _back_.

But something in my gut told me not everything was right. Fang had yet to tell me exactly why they had taken his wings. I surpressed a shudder. I thought the School was gone, forever out of our hair. I guess I was wrong.

"What's wrong?" I heard Fang ask, and I looked up to see him staring at me in concern. I smiled up at him and shook my head.

"Nothing."

--

A soft knock drew Alexandria's attention to the door. Shuffling her papers into a neat stack, she stood and hurried to open the door. Dr. Thomas entered once she stood back to let him enter, smiling and greeting her with a happy hello.

"And what, pray tell, has got you so happy?" Alexandria raised a delicate eyebrow in his direction, but he was too busy making himself at home behind her desk to notice it.

"Why, nothing, of course. And something." Thomas spread his hands and grinned at her. "I have nothing to do, since you were put in charge of capturing the mutants. But I'm so happy because I get to see you do it."

"I'm glad you have so much trust in my 'capturing' skills." she replied, perching herself on the edge of her desk. She held up a hand to examine her nails.

"You don't seem so excited about this."

Alexandria looked up only briefly, her eyes narrowing, before returning her gaze back to her nails. She had been thinking a lot over her little mission. Even if she did manage to capture all six--seven, counting the baby--it was possible most of them would die during the experiments. She hadn't been kidding when she told Fang that the new scientists were trying to make them 'normal' again.

Alexandria placed a hand over her stomach. She was two months pregnant, and the thought of her child dying in such a brutal way made her stomach drop.

"How is the baby?"

Alexandria's head shot up, eyes wide, having forgotten that the doctor was there. She blushed and cleared her throat. "Bien. My husband says I shouldn't work so hard, but I'm having too much fun." She laughed, hoping that would appease the suspicious doctor.

"Good, good." Thomas seemed a little distracted.

Alexandria returned to her thoughts.

When she was a mother, she wouldn't want to see her baby die just because scientists wanted to play around with their lives.

Alexandria frowned.

Max and the others weren't her babies, so why should Alexandria care? It wasn't like she was going to be the one to cut into Max's brain. She was going to be the one to watch the blind one--Iggy--struggle to get out of the grasp of a scientist who intended on removing his wings. Besides, Max and the other five weren't babies, anymore. Nick was the baby. And Nick wasn't going to be experimented on. Yet.

Her eyes fell on a photograph taken last year. The one taken in Florida, where she and her husband could be seen sitting side by side eating popcorn.

When she was a mother, she wouldn't want to see her baby taken away to be made into a mutant freak. She could only imagine a mother's--or a father's, for that matter, grief at losing her baby.

If that happened to her...

Oh god, what had she been thinking?

Alexandria jumped to her feet, brushing off her skirt of imaginary dust. Already, a plan was forming in her mind. Dr. Thomas looked up at her, his hands folded in his lap. "How are _you_?"

"Asi, asi." Alexandria rambled off in spanish, forgetting she wasn't in her husbands company, too busying thinking, planning, worrying.

Thomas laughed. "Good, because the director wants you."

Alexandria paled.

When Alexandria stepped out of the office an hour later, her legs shaking, face blank, she couldn't help but think that that stupid director could read her mind.

'Don't forget who gave you this job, Alexandria.' Anne had hissed. 'I can easily take it away if you fail to fulfill your misson.'

God, she hated that woman, sometimes. Just because she was the only one that survived the explosion created by Max and her flock, she thought she was a God send. Alexandria pressed her lips together to hold back a groan and made her way down the hallway back to her office.

She had some phone calls to make.

--

She hung up the phone with a heavy sigh, again checking to make sure nobody was listening in at the door. She'd just gotten off the phone with her husband. At first, Joseph Costello was confused as to why his wife had suddenly changed her views on the experiments, but he had finally agreeded to the plan. Alexandria loved him for that. So understanding, her husband was. And a very nice looking man. Alexandria smiled.

--

I was humming along to a song in my head as we approuched Dr. Martinez's house. Nick was asleep in Fang's arms, and Fang looked like sleeping was what he wanted to be doing as well. I gave him an encouraging smile and squeezed his hand as I tugged him forward. Just a little further, and we'd be home.

I couldn't wait to see their faces. They would cry. At least, Angel and Nudge would. The boys, my tough boys, would smile and cry later while nobody was watching. We would all be happy and together again. Though, to be perfectly honest, I was a bit worried. Now that Fang was back and we were at Dr. Martinez's house, would we put her and Ella in danger? I chewed the inside of my cheek, worry building up in my chest. I held Fang's hand a bit tighter.

The door to the house flew open. I saw my Angel appear at the door way. I saw her open her mouth to scream. I saw her start to cry.

"Fang!"

--

At the same time, Dr. Thomas made his way back to his office. His sung the door open, nearly avoiding being hit by the door when it bounced back. He hurried to his desk, grabbed the gun from the bottom drawer and stuffed it in his coat pocket. He made for door again, his eyes cold, hard, his lips curled back in a snarl.

Alexandria would die.

--

Oh. Me. Gowd. I'm SO SORRY, again. I really need to keep updating this stuff. Remember to review, and I really hope you enjoy!

Ugh. I need to get this song out of my head. -randomly starts singing Lips Like Morphine-

Any mistakes? PLEASE TELL ME! Thanks--Moriko-Demon


	6. Chapter 5

**Teach Him To Fly**

Author's Note: Holy crap, I'm back! I liveee! I'm sorry I didn't update sooner. I had work, than vacation. But I'm home now, and I'm very excited over these next few chapters. I think I'm about ready to finish it all up.

!ATTENTION!  
I have a game to play. –evil look- Can anybody find the foreshadowing in the Prologue?

**Good luck!**

Disclaimer: I'm not going to even bother. Leave me alone. xD

On with the story!

--

**Teach Him To Fly: Chapter 5**

By: Moriko-Demon

After about two minutes of watching Nudge and Angel hanging off Fang's neck and arms, I finally forced them to back off and let Fang breathe. He looked please to see them, but only a trained eye would see that emotion in his dark eyes.

I had taken Nick from him the moment I had heard Angel's excited scream. Good thing too, because Nudge, Iggy, and Gazzy soon followed.

My heart nearly broke when I saw Iggy and Gazzy trying to hold back tears.

My tough, tough boys were crying. Crying.

We all circled around, the girls sniffling; the guys trying to act touch, and stacked fists. I think I was the happiest I had ever been. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Dr. Martinez and Ella coming out of the house. They looked shocked to find six standing where five should have been.

I beamed. Cradling Nick between me and Fang, we all collapsed to the ground, embracing each other.

--

Alexandria's heart was beating very fast.

She had only been away from the house for an hour. She had returned home to find her door hanging open. Feeling very afraid, she had dropped her grocery bags and raced inside. Her house, once beautiful and organized, was a wreck.

Alexandria glanced around. There were signs of a struggle. The end table was turned over. The sofa, which was supposed to be sitting in the middle of the room, was blocking the doorway to the kitchen. The vase of flowers had toppled over. The carpet was wet. Avoiding the water, Alexandria hurriedly climbed over the sofa, opened the kitchen door, and climbed into the kitchen.

The scream caught in her throat.

"Joseph!" she whispered, moving towards his prone form. His shirt was soaked with blood. Kneeling down, she looked for a pulse, her own heart pounding twenty times faster, it seemed.

She found none.

Alexandria found her eyes burning. Why had this happened? She looked around quickly, as if hoping she'd find a note from the killer; explaining what had happened.

Again, she found none.

A sob escaped her. Digging into her purse for her cell phone, she managed to find it at the bottom. With a hiccup, she noticed she had a text message. She opened it, recognizing her husband's number.

She read:

Dr. Thomas.

That was it. Alexandria's throat closed up. Her eyes fell on her dead husband's hand and saw his cell phone, hidden by his huge hand. With another wild cry of sorrow, she dialed 911. After a few tries (her eyes were blurred by her tears) she finally managed to call and rambled off the facts.

When all was said and done, Alexandria dropped her cell without bothering to hang up and cried.

--

Five hours of sleep and food later, Fang and I settled down on the couch to watch some TV. The others had gathered around us, and Nick was still fast asleep in the next room. I kept an ear open for him; he was always cranky when he woke up.

Dr. Martinez was flipping through channels. After zooming through all the channels twice, Fang jumped beside me and told her to wait.

I looked at him, curious, but Fang's eyes were glued to the television.

"Local ER doctor Joseph Costello, was found dead by his wife, Alexandria Costello, in their home today." the reporter was saying. My eyes flickered to the television. Why did Fang want to watch this? "Mrs. Costello was unable to speak to us. But police tell us that she was able to provide a possible suspect. His name is Dr. Thomas. If you have any information concerning the murder please contact--"

Dr. Martinez had put it on mute and was staring at both Fang and me with concern.

I knew now. Why Fang had been so interested. I only needed to hear the name. Dr. Thomas.

"_Who?" I demanded. "Who took your wings?"_

"_A man by the name of Dr. Thomas." He didn't explain further._

--

Yes, that's it. The next chapter will be longer. I promise. I just needed to get this out there.

Hope you enjoyed. And please tell me if you see any mistakes. Reviews are welcomed. ;D Thanks—Moriko-Demon


	7. Chapter 6

**Teach Him To Fly**

Author's Note: Apparently none of you saw my little game I had suggested in the last chapter. Or perhaps you guys didn't see it? MARIAN. Coughcoughyoushouldknowcoughcough  
Anywayyyy.  
**Can anybody find the foreshadowing in the Prologue?**

Come now, it's not that hard. Is it?

Disclaimer: Blahblah_dontown_blahblah. –walks off-

On with the story!

--

**Teach Him To Fly: Chapter 6**  
By: Moriko-Demon

I could not hide the shiver upon remembering this. I was aware of six pairs of us staring at Fang and me, but I ignored them for the moment and turned to Fang.

"It's the same person, isn't it?" I asked. It felt as if I couldn't breathe. This man, the very man who had taken Fang's beautiful wings, had also killed this woman's husband. There was no doubt about it.

I just knew.

Knew…knew…I shivered again, ashamed of my fear.

Fang seemed to be paler than normal, and I lightly touched his arm with my finger tips to bring him back to the world of the living.

I repeated the question for him. "It's the same person, right?"

Fang only nodded. I pursed my lips. We had told the flock everything that Fang knew. That the scientists were planning on taking out Fang's bird DNA. How they had taken his wings. But I had a feeling there was something Fang had forgotten to tell even me. Iggy seemed to have the same idea. "Fang? Who is this Alexandria Costello? Did you ever meet her?"

I raised an eyebrow in Fang's direction. He sighed and opened his mouth to reply, but there was a knock at the door. Dr. Martinez stood quickly and rushed to the door. Fang had fallen silent once again. I heard a loud gasp.

"Mrs. Costello? What...what are you doing here?"

I whirled around and peeked over the top of the sofa to look at the door. Sure enough, a red-eyed Alexandria Costello was standing in the entryway, looking very...well, sad. I had to remind myself that this woman had just lost her husband. But even though she was the victim here, I tensed up and reached out to touch Iggy's shoulder.

The whole flock was alert.

"I'm sorry," Mrs. Costello was mumbling, and I focused on the poor woman's soft voice. She was looking around the room. Her eyes landed on Fang. "Fang," she cried and moved forward. Dr. Martinez seemed a little reluctant to let the woman enter her house, having seen our reactions to the woman's appearnace. "I know I'm probably not the most trusted person here." I resisted the childish urge to say, Duh. "But I need to tell you everything."

The flock and I all shared a glance, expect for Iggy. He only frowned.

"What?" was Fang's short reply.

With a small glance at Dr. Martinez and a small sniffle, Mrs. Costello perched herself on the very edge of a chair, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. "I-I...I didn't tell you _my_ job." she began. "I was given the task of gaining your trust by the director." She seemed to pale at just the mention of this 'director'. I frowned.

"I was suppose to gain your trust and bring you to a 'safe house'. The thing is, that s-safe house wouldn't be so safe. Many of my co-workers and doctors would be there to take you away. You probably already know this, but they were planning on making you normal again." she spat this out, disgusted. I was disgusted too. They were willing to sacrafice the lives of children just to fullfill they're desires. My attention snapped back to Mrs. Costello, for she was talking again. And her eyes were on me. "M-Max...they were going to give Nick to me at first. But when I got pregnant, they decided that it would be best to run experiments on your b-b-baby as well. They were interested in how Nick has wings."

I had always wondered about that too. My heart sped up a bit. I feared for my baby. At the moment, I felt like rushing to Nick and holding him close to me. My hand gripped Fang's arm. He didn't complain.

"What about the Erasers?" Nudge's voice reached my ears through my near panic.

"The E-Erasers?" Mrs. Costello sniffled. I nodded. Fang had mentioned the lack of Erasers at the building it had been held in. "They were all destroyed a couple of months after Fang...died...I think. I wasn't exactly high up."

I was a bit shocked a first, but I quickly got over it. I couldn't shake off the small bit of guilt, though.

"What they were planning on doing to you," Mrs. Costello shoulders were shaking, but not of laughter. "I started thinking about how I would feel if it were my baby. And I couldn't stand it. I called my husband. We were planning on helping you to escape and find shelter at one of my winter homes in the mountains. They didn't know about this home--I was sure you'd be safe."

"But Dr. Thomas killed your husband." Fang intrupted.

Mrs. Costello didn't react like I had expected to her. I expected a huge sob and many more tears, but she only nodded and struggled to take a deep, calming breath. Looked like she was to tired to cry.

"Yes," was all she said.

We were silent. It felt akward. Dr. Martinez shifted in her seat.

"What do you say we do?" Iggy asked.

Yes, surely Dr. Thomas was planning on finding us and capturing us.

Capture us, capture us, capture us.

I held my breath, my eyes flickering to the door to the room where Nick slept.

They all looked to me. I sighed. Some things never changed.

I was in charge of protecting these kids. I was the oldest, I was their sister, so to speak. I looked at each one in turn, than back to Mrs. Costello, who seemed a little scared of my answer. I sighed again.

"I still have a few more questions..."

--

"It was foolish!" the voice snapped, and Dr. Thomas had to pull the phone away from his ear.

"I'm sorry, but--" he protested, but was cut off.

"No buts, Thomas!" they growled, and Dr. Thomas could almost picture him clutching the phone in his elegant hand, his knuckles white. He would have found it amusing any other day but not now.

"You didn't tell our dear Alex about the last part of the experiment, did you?" the voice seemed calmer now.

"No," he breathed.

"Good. At least you remembered the 'Keep quiet' part."

"Yes," Thomas nearly growled, growing annoyed.

"I'm sending a car for you. Wait until I call you again."

The line went dead, and Thomas snapped his cell phone shut with a snort. Slipping the silver cell into his pocket, he waited for said car to appear.

He was a wanted man. He had murdered somebody. The husband of Alexandria Costello. Thomas didn't feel any regret. He was actually happy that he had sent the bitch a message she would never forget. You didn't double-cross _them _and not expect to get punished. Thomas had learned this years ago. His finger traced the scar on his arm through his jacket sleeve.

But no need to worry.

After he had the children and worked his 'magic', he'd be famous. They'd let him go free.

--

Information chapter. Oh dear. :3

I really do hope you enjoyed, and if you find any mistakes, I would LOVE if you told me. Thank you. Please review? I like them. :) --Moriko-Demon


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